If you compare IT salary figures across different websites, you’ll often see numbers that don’t agree with each other by tens of thousands of dollars — and it’s usually not because one source is wrong. Federal wage data (BLS) counts base salary only, across every employer including hospitals, insurers, and government agencies, while sites like Glassdoor and Levels.fyi report crowdsourced totals that skew toward big tech and often include equity and bonuses. Both are useful, but conflating them gives you an unrealistic picture of what most IT jobs actually pay.
Software Engineering Manager
This role oversees engineering teams, sets technical direction, and coordinates with product and business stakeholders. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks this under “computer and information systems managers,” reporting a median annual wage of $171,200 as of May 2024, with the top 10% earning more than $239,200. This is typically not an entry point — most people move into engineering management after several years as an individual contributor developer or engineer, since the role requires both technical credibility and people-management experience.
Mobile Applications Developer
BLS doesn’t track mobile development as a separate occupation; it falls under the broader “software developers” category, which had a median annual wage of $133,080 in May 2024, with the top 10% earning over $211,450. Most roles want a computer science degree or equivalent, though a strong portfolio of shipped apps carries real weight for mobile-specific positions, sometimes more than it does in other development specialties.
Information Systems Security Manager
This is a leadership role over an organization’s cybersecurity function, distinct from an individual contributor security analyst. It typically falls under the same “computer and information systems managers” BLS category as engineering managers ($171,200 median), though pay varies with the size and risk profile of the organization — financial services and healthcare security leadership roles often pay above that median given the regulatory stakes involved.
Database Manager / Administrator
Database administrators manage and secure an organization’s databases day to day. The BLS reports a median annual wage of $104,620 in May 2024 for this role, notably lower than the more specialized database architect role ($135,980 median), which designs the underlying database systems rather than maintaining them. Growth here is slower than other IT roles — about 4% projected from 2024 to 2034 — reflecting how much routine administration has shifted to automated cloud database management in recent years.
Data Security Analyst
Also called information security analyst, this role identifies vulnerabilities and responds to security incidents. The median annual wage was $124,910 in May 2024, and this is one of the fastest-growing roles in IT: BLS projects 29% employment growth from 2024 to 2034, nearly ten times the average growth rate across all occupations. Entry-level roles (junior SOC analyst) commonly start in the high $60,000s to $80,000 range, and certifications like Security+ or CISSP meaningfully improve both hiring odds and pay.
AI Engineer
This is the role where the gap between federal and crowdsourced data is widest, and where you need to be most careful about which number you’re looking at. “AI Engineer” isn’t a distinct BLS occupation — it draws from a mix of categories. Data Scientists had a BLS median of $117,330 in May 2024; Computer and Information Research Scientists had a median of $145,080. Industry salary surveys (Robert Half, Glassdoor) that specifically track AI/ML engineering roles report considerably higher figures, commonly in the $170,000–$245,000 range for mainstream enterprise employers as of 2026, with frontier AI labs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind) paying total compensation packages well beyond that for senior researchers — sometimes exceeding $500,000, occasionally into seven figures. Those frontier-lab numbers are real but represent a small, extreme tail of the market, not a typical outcome. BLS projects data scientist employment specifically to grow 34% from 2024 to 2034, among the fastest-growing occupations tracked.
How to Use These Numbers
- Treat BLS figures as a realistic floor across the full national job market, not a ceiling — they include every employer, not just the highest-paying tech companies.
- Treat crowdsourced sites (Glassdoor, Levels.fyi) as reflecting a narrower, higher-paying slice of the market, concentrated in big tech and major metros.
- Location matters enormously, especially for AI and security roles — San Francisco, Seattle, and New York commonly pay 25–40% above the national median for the same title.
- Growth rate and current pay aren’t the same thing. Data security analyst and data scientist roles are growing the fastest on this list; engineering management pays the most but requires the most prior experience to reach.
Bottom Line
If you’re choosing a path based on growth potential, information security and data science currently show the strongest projected growth on this list (29% and 34% respectively through 2034). If you want the highest ceiling without years of management experience first, AI/ML engineering and database architecture both offer strong pay for individual contributors. Whichever direction you go, check current BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook data directly (bls.gov/ooh) before making a decision, and treat any single salary figure you find online as one data point rather than the full picture.
FAQ
Why do IT salary figures vary so much between sources?
Federal data (BLS) measures base wages across every employer nationally, while crowdsourced sites like Glassdoor and Levels.fyi report self-submitted totals skewed toward big tech companies and often include equity and bonuses, which can nearly double the headline figure.
Which IT role is growing the fastest?
Data scientist roles are projected to grow 34% from 2024 to 2034 per BLS data, with information security analyst roles close behind at 29% — both far outpacing the roughly 4% average growth rate for all occupations.
Do AI engineers really make $145,000?
That’s the BLS median for the closest matching federal category (computer and information research scientists). Industry surveys tracking AI/ML engineering specifically report considerably higher pay, often $170,000–$245,000 at mainstream tech employers in 2026, with frontier AI labs paying substantially more at the senior level.
Is a software engineering manager role a good entry point into IT?
No, it’s generally not an entry-level role. Most software engineering managers spend several years as individual contributor developers or engineers before moving into management, since the role requires both technical credibility and people-management skills.
